But first, happiness.

If you would have asked me a few months ago whether or not I was happy, I probably would have replied with a passably confident "Yes!" I was finally feeling a sense of direction for the next year and for my future. I was excited I was, well, happy.

What I've begun to notice is that my happiness was empty. The only reason I felt happy was because I was forcing myself to believe that I was happy by telling other people so. That happiness, though, was not genuine. At all. I knew that something needed to change, but I didn't know how.

A few days ago, as I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, I came across a post from Huffington Post, explaining that they're starting a month-long challenge to "dedicate yourself to having a happier, healthier year" (you can find more info here). That was when I realized that this year, before I  resolve to not drink so many specialty coffee drinks or something, I should focus on achieving authentic, genuine happiness.

Maybe my mantra out of all of this won't be "new year, new me" but rather "new year, happier me".

Ok, I'll stop rambling now.

Until next time,

-T

p.s. dear blog, I'm sorry for leaving you abandoning you for seven months. let's get to know each other better this year.